


Reprise

by showtunediva



Category: Glee
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-22
Updated: 2014-06-22
Packaged: 2018-02-05 15:58:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1824082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/showtunediva/pseuds/showtunediva
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rachel and Jesse St James  reconnect after a year apart.  New Directions and Vocal Adrenaline perform together at Regionals.</p><p> </p><p>Set in between season 2 and Season 3.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Letter

**Author's Note:**

> Glee characters are owned by Ryan Murphy.

Rachel Berry really found it impossible to move on from Jesse St James. She mostly kept this to herself though because everyone else in New Directions pretty much thought he was a scumbag. After the incident where she got dumped on the head with rotten eggs by everyone in Vocal Adrenaline and Jesse was sneering right along with them she felt hate for him at that moment. Since he had gone to UCLA she longed for a way reconnect with him. Mostly to let him know that she forgave him.. perhaps even if a long distance dating relationship wouldn't work at the very least they could still be friends.  
One afternoon in Spanish class the phone rang "Rachel, there's a message for you down at the office." Mr. Schuester said.  
Rachel was curious about what could be awaiting her down at Principal Figgins's office. She rarely got in trouble.. she hoped this was nothing too serious.  
She was surprised to see a young boy in a Vocal Adrenaline uniform standing in the lobby of the front office.  
"Hi, I'm Evan and this is Daniel. Your mom told us to drop this off for you."  
Rachel's mom Shelby was the coach of Vocal Adrenaline. She had been largely absent from Rachel's life until last year. Up until that point Rachel had known nothing different then living with her two gay dads. Rachel was still getting used to having her mom back in her life so wasn't willing to get into a situation where she lived with her mom and her two gay dads. Her two gay dads were not even aware that Shelby and Rachel were in contact.  
"She could have dropped it by my house later." Rachel said.  
"She wasn't sure when your dads were gonna be home." The taller boy Daniel said.  
Evan handed her the envelope. Rachel's heartbeat sped up when she saw the return address label.  
'UCLA! It's from Jesse!' she thought excitedly.  
She smiled at the two boys.  
"Thank you so much. The two of you just made my day!"  
"You're welcome." Evan said and Rachel departed from the front office.  
Later that afternoon after New Directions rehearsal when she was in the privacy of her room she opened the letter from Jesse.  
It read  
Dear Rachel,  
I hiope sophomore year is going well. College is a lot harder than high school. I am in a select chorus and an acapella chorus. I hope everything with New Directions is going well. I hope to come back for Regionals later this year. I am not sure if Vocal Adrenaline is competing yet but even if they aren't I still want to support you. You really have a lot of talent Rachel and so does everyone else in New Directioons. You guys should have came in second last year instead of the other team.  
I also wanted to let me know that I am really sorry for the incident with throwing eggs at you in the parking lot. Please know that I didn't mean to gang up on you like that. The other guys put me in a tough position. I never meant to hurt you. I hope you can forgive me and that we can still be friends.  
Love  
Jesse  
Rachel's jaw was absolutely scraping the bedspread in shock. Jesse had respect for her talent and New Directions talent? He wanted to see her again? She was filled with so much joy she didn't know where to begin. Would people in New Directiions be accepting to her being in contact with him? They all pretty much hated her. She certainly couldn't tell her dads because they had no clue whatsoever that Shelly was back in the picture.  
'Who can I confide in? The thought that constantly plagued her mind.


	2. Advice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rachel seeks advice from Ms. Pillsbury and Mercedes about contacting Jesse.

Rachel couldn't get over the immense amount of shock she was in that Jesse had gotten back in contact with her. She figured the could be no harm in getting back together with him since he was no longer part of Vocal Adrenaline but wasn't quite sure where her feelings for him stood. Would she fall back in love with him or would they just be friends. She was completely stuck in a whirlwind of emotions.  
She wanted to talk to someone in Glee Club but she wasn't who to confide in. She certainly couldn't talk to Finn about guy troubles.. Kurt possibly but not Finn. She decided to go talk to the guidance counselor Miss Pillsbury.  
"So Rachel what can I help you with today?"  
Rachel got straight to the point  
"Jesse St James got back in contact with me.  
Emma Pillsbury remembered back to a year ago when Rachel had come to talk to her after the incident with Jesse St James and the other boys in Vocal Adrenaline in the parking lot.  
" How does that make you feel?"  
"Confused… very confused."  
"Why?"  
"Because I might still have feelings for him and I don't know how he feels about me."  
"Have you thought about writing back to him?"  
"Yes… I just don't know what I would say."  
"Well gather your thoughts .. the two of you may end up forming a friendship."  
"I want to talk to someone in New Directions about this too but I don't know who to confide in."  
"Why do you suppose that is?"  
"Everyone still despises Jesse for the way he treated me."  
"Do you think they'd be more understanding if you tell them he's changed?"  
"I hope so."  
Ms Pillsbury smiled. "Well Rachel I think we've made some strides in the right direction. When you write the letter don't send it right away. I want to see what you say just in case you have a bit of trouble getting your emotions in order."  
"Okay."  
Later that afternoon Rachel rushed to the music room hoping to find someone she could confide in. She was happy to see Mercedes doing her biology homework. For once she was happy that Finn wasn't there.  
"Hey Mercedes."  
Mercedes looked up from what she was doing .  
"Hey Rachel what's up?"  
"A lot actually. I got a letter from Jesse St James yesterday."  
Silence.  
"Do you think I should write back to him?"  
"Well that all depends, did he apologize for what he did to you last year?"  
"Yes. He actually praised myself and all of us on how talented we are."  
Mercedes jaw dropped.  
"Seriously?"  
"Yes."  
"I would definitely say he deserves a second chance then."  
"I'm so confused though."  
"What about?"  
"My feelings for him. I wouldn't want to cheat on Finn with him."  
"Don't jump the gun. He may jus t want to be friends. Just take things slow."  
Rachel gave a warm smile to the person so seemed to be her constant competitor for solos.  
"Thanks Mercedes. I really appreciate your advice."  
"No worries. I'm here for you if you need to talk about anything."  
Rachel made up her mind then and there. She was going to write back to Jesse


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rachel writes back to Jesse.

Rachel agonized for days about what to say in her response letter to Jesse. She wanted to get everything she wanted to say him absolutely perfect. She wrote draft upon draft but never seemed satisfied with the end result. Once she came up with a version she was satisfied with she brought it in to show to Ms Pillsbury. A week after their original meeting she found herself in her office again.  
She handed over the final draft of her letter. "I plan on typing it up tonight. I just wanted to get my thoughts down in a somewhat organized fashion."  
Miss Pillsbury took the letter from her and read it over carefully. There was silence for about 10 minutes  
"Are you satisfied with this letter?" she asked  
Rachel nodded. " Yes, it took me a long time to figure out what I was going to say and how I was going to say it.  
"Pop it in the mail then and she what results it will yield."  
"Okay."  
For weeks following Rachel constantly checked the mail for a response from Jesse. She was disaapointed when she didn't see anything but she didn't think to check her email. She had totally forgotten that she had included her email at the bottom of her letter. She logged into her gmail account and sure enough there was an email from Jesse's UCLA address  
Dear Rachel,  
I am sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you. My acapella chorus just got back from a compettion trip in Washington DC and on top of that I have been studying for finals. I am so happy you are willing to give things between us a second chance. I come home in a few weeks would you be willing to meet up at Breadsticks for lunch to catch up?  
~Jesse  
Rachel clicked the "reply button"  
Lunch at Breadsticks sounds like a great idea. Will you be home in time for Regionals? Hopefully you can come see us perform, I can't wait to see you again and catch up on things!  
After she clicked send she felt like she was on cloud nine. She couldn't wait to see Jesse again,  
The next day at New Directions rehearsal Mercedes came up to her to find the news of the response.  
"Hey, did Jesse get back to you yet?"  
Rachel nodded. "Yeah, I got an email from him last night. He's coming home in a few weeks and he's meeting me for lunch at Breadsticks."  
Mercedes grinned . That's great. Did he mention if he was going to be home in time for Regionals?"  
"No. He may or may not be home in time for Regioanals. It depends on when his last exam is and when he's coming home."  
No matter if Jesse was home in time for regionals or not she was very excited about seeing him again.


	4. Chatlings  Part  1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is in instant messenger conversations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scheenames of Characters  
> Jstjames1: Jesse  
> Berrygooddiva: Rachel  
> Finniscool2: Finn

Jstjames1: Hi  
Berrygooddiva: Hey, Will you be home in time for Nationals on June 20th?  
JstJames1: Yup.  
Berrygooddiva: Great. I will fill you in on what we have been working on for completion. Will you promise not to mention anything to Vocal Adrenaline?  
Jstjames1: You have my word. Does anyone else in New Directions know that we've been in contact?  
Berrygoodiva: Only Mercedes. Hopefully she hasn't told anyone else.  
(Imagine a buddy list on the screen. Rachel gets a notification that Finn (finniscool2) has just signed on then an im from instantly pops up)  
Finniscool2: Hey  
Berrygoooddiva: Hey  
Finniscool2: Why did you get called to the office the other day during Spanish?  
Berrygooddiva: Two guys from Vocal Adrenaline had a letter for me. It was from Jesse.  
(Finn goes on for 10 mins or so without answering)  
Berrygooddiva R U there?  
Finniscool2: I am. I'm just in shock. I still don't like what he did to you.  
Berrygoodiva: Well I can assure you. He has changed. He wants to meet me at Breadsticks when he gets home from school in a few weeks.  
Finniscool2: Are you gonna go?  
Berrygoodiva: Yes. Mercedes says I should give him another chance.  
Finniscool2: How can you be so sure he isn't trying to steal ideas from us again?  
Berrygooddiva: Well he's in college. He has moved on from anything that happened last year and he sounds genuinely sorry for what he did to me.  
Finniscool2: Well I'm not gonna say you shouldn't go out with him but I just want you to be careful. I am not sure I fully trust him. Do what you think is best.  
Berrygoodiva: Thank you Finn. I appreciate your support. I know you and the other New Directions kids don't really like Jesse but you guys have to realize he's not the competition anymore and I don't the current Vocal Adrenaline kids would use him as a spy. My mom is still the coach and she had a stern talk with them after the egg incident.  
Finniscool2: Really? I never knew that before.  
Berrygooddiva: Well it's true. I really think Jesse does want to be friends. I think you guys should all give him a chance.  
Finniscool2: Okay. We will.  
*Finniscool2 has signed off  
Jstjames1: U still there?  
Berrygooddiva: Yeah, I was just talking to Finn. He's a little uncomfortable that you're coming back to visit.  
Jstjames1: Why?  
Berrygoodiva: Well they were all really shocked about the egg incident and were kind of mad you were involved in that. It seems like to me like they are unsure about what your intentions are going to be with me.  
Jstjames1: Do they think I'm still spying for Vocal Adrenaline?  
Berrygoodiva: Yes.  
Jstjames1: Well I can assure right now that I'm not. I haven't really been in touch with anyone I was in Vocal Adrenaline with since I left for UCLA. We've all been pretty busy with school. The guys that gave you the letter are sophomores that I don't really know. Your mom just told them to deliver the letter.  
Berrygoodiva: Why couldn't she have just delivered it herself? I know she was nervous about seeing my dads again but she could have easily just left it at the front office for me.  
Jstjames1: I honestly don't know a lot of those details. Why don't you ask your mom about that the next time you see her?  
Berrygooddiva: Okay  
Jstjames1: What days work best to meet at Breadsticks?  
Berrygoooddiva: Fridays around 5.  
Jstjames1: so does next Friday work good for you.  
Berrygoodiva: Sounds great.  
Jstjames1: Great. Can't wait to see you again.  
Berrygooddiva: Same here.  
*Jstjames1 has signed off


	5. The  Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rachel and Jesse go on their date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rachel's gay dads have been mentioned in the show a few times but they have not been given any airtime yet so they will get mention in this chapter. Also for the purposes of this chapter Jesse is three years older than Rachel . The story takes place during sophomore year. Season 2 was in Junior Year but this fan fiction doesn't go in accordance of the show's timeline

Rachel immediately circled the 23rd on her calendar and stated counting the days down in her head til she'd be seeing Jesse again.. At that moment her father Rick walked into the room.  
"What important event are you marking down your calendar? Nationals?"  
"No, Nationals is already down. I have s date with Jesse St James in two weeks.  
Her father's expression immediately changed."  
"Isn't that the troublemaker who dumped eggs on you last year?"  
"Yeah, he's changed since last year though. We're going out for dinner at Breadsticks."  
Her father looked unsure. " How can you be certain?"  
"Being in college for a year can change one's attitude."  
"Well, I just hope he treats you a little bit nicer this time around. You were miserable after that egg incident."  
"You and Finn have equal concerns but you both haven nothing to worry about."  
'That Finn has a good head on his shoulders, why can't they date?" he wondered to himself.  
Rachel looked at her father awkwardly  
"Did you know that Mom is the coach of Vocal Adrenaline? "  
"Yes, I saw her at Nationals last year. We chatted for a bit. IT was bit awkward with Dave being there. I haven't been in touch with her for so long I hadn't a clue if she knew I was gay."  
"I would have told you sooner but I was so focused on the competition that it slipped my mind."  
Rick Berry kissed his daughter on the top of the head. "Don't worry about it sweetheart. The next time I see her things will be less awkward. Actually, I was hoping to invite her over for dinner one of these days. Do you have her number so I can give her a call?"  
Rachel rummaged in her desk drawer and pulled out her address book and flipped to the page where she had her mother's cell phone number written down. She pulled out a piece of scrap paper, wrote the number down and handed it to her father.  
"I know you're kind of busy with preparing for Nationals so when is a good time to have your mom over?"  
Rachel pondered this for a second. "Well school is over in about three weeks why not have her over for a barbeque or something like that on June 15th?"  
"Sounds good to me. I'll run that date by your mother."  
The days seemed to fly by quickly and pretty soon it was the day of her date with Jesse. Rachel rushed home right after New Directions rehearsal to get ready for her date with Jesse. As she was leaving the school she picked up her phone and noticed a text message from Jesse.  
"Hey can I pick you up at your house at 4:45?"  
Rachel looked at the clock on her cell phone. It was 3:15. She'd have plenty of time to get ready.  
She hit reply and wrote back "Yes, that's fine see you then."  
It took her half an hour to get ready. She paced in the kitchen waiting for Jesse. She was really anxious about her dad meeting him.  
At 4:45 the doorbell rang  
"Hi Jesse."  
"Hey Rachel you look really pretty."  
"Thanks. Do you want to come in for a second?"  
"Sure but we should probably get to Breadsticks soon because the dinner rush starts in 15 minutes.  
Rachel's dad came into the hall.  
"Hi, you must be Jesse. I'm Rick , Rachel's father. It's nice to finally meet you"  
"Nice to meet you too sir." Jesse reached for Rick's outstretched hand and shook.  
"Singing talent sure does run in your family. Rachel takes after your wife."  
Rachel blushed.  
"Thank you Jesse we both appreciate the compliment." Rachel's dad replied  
"Well we have to be going now." Jesse said  
Rick kissed Rachel on the top of the head  
"Have fun."  
Once they left the hosue Rachel let out a huge sigh of relief.  
"I'm really glad he didn't bring up the egg incident." Jesse said  
"Me too." They walked to the car and drove to the restaurant in silence.  
Once the got to the restaurant the atmosphere was a little bit relaxed  
"So how was freshmen year?" Rachel asked  
"Excellent. As I mentioned in my email I'm in a acapella chorus and we went on a competition trip to Washington DC where placed third out of 10 schools We even got to sing for the President."  
"That's so neat. How were your classes?"  
"Some were harder than others but I managed to get pretty good grades. Better grades than I got last year."  
Rachel smiled "Sound like you're turning your life around."  
"I am amd I'm hoping we can be on the same page."  
"You mean about stuff that happened last year?"  
"Yeah, I know you're not too sure if you can trust me and the kids in New Directions don't really care for me much but I really have changed Rachel."  
Rachel took his hand comfortingly "I wouldn't be on this date with you if I didn't believe you Jesse."  
"Do you agree that we should take things slow and not go into a dating relationship right away?" Jesse asked with a serious look in his eyes.  
Rachel nodded.  
" To make reference back to our conversation on AIM yes I do think that being friends for right now is a good idea. I think Finn is confused about his feelings for me and also about your intentions."  
"That's what we'll do then. Do you have Finn's number?"  
"Yeah." Rachel pulled out a piece of scrap paper from her purse and handed it to Jesse.  
"Okay. Great. I'll give him a call after our date is over so we can talk things over like rational adults.  
"Sounds like a plan."  
"So how did you guys do at Regionals?"  
"We made it into the top 10. WE go to Nationals at the end of June?"  
"What's the repertoire you guys are doing this year?"  
"Michael Jackson."  
Jesse smiled  
" I really like that selection, What songs are you guys singing?"  
"Thriller and We are The World. Kurt is also doing a solo of Man In The Mirror."  
"Cool, What's the date?"  
"One month from today,. June 25th at the Wang Center in Boston."  
"Great I'll try to be there to see you guys perform. Did Vocal Adrenaline place?"  
"Yep, they came in 1st. We placed fourth."  
Rachel was excited that this date was going so well. She was equally as happy that Jesse would be coming to see her perform at Nationals.


	6. Post Date Conversations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is completely in instant message conversations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character Screennames 
> 
> Rachel: Berrygooddiva  
> Finn: Finniscool2  
> Mercedes: beyoncefan12  
> Puck: nopuck24 (short for Noah Puckerman)

Beyoncefan12: Hey  
Betrrygooddiva: Hey  
Beyoncefan12: How did it go with Jesse last night?  
Berrygoodfiva: Pretty good. We had a nice conversation  
Beyoncefan12: How was his freshmen year?  
Berrygoodfiva: It went really well. He really turned his life around and he's completely changed since last year. I think not being surrounded by those asinine Vocal Adrenaline kids had something to do with it  
Beyoncefan12: Any bells of love ringing?  
Berrygooddiva: Nope, we're just gonna be friends. I think it's the best thing. I think Fimn still has feelings for me so I wouldn't want him to get jealous.  
Beyoncefan12: That's good. Did Jesse say anything about weather he plans on coming to Boston for Nationals?  
Berrygooddiva: It's a possibility. I hope he does. I think it would be great to see how you guys have changed/  
Nopuck24: Hey man  
Finniscool2: Hey  
Nopuck24: What's up?  
Finniscool2: Jesse St James just called me.  
Nopuck24: How the hell did he get your number?  
Finniscool2: From Rachel most likely, they went on a date last night. Don't you remember? Rachel has been talking about that date for about 2 weeks.  
Nopuck24: What did that punk want?  
Finniscool2: To make amends I guess. He claims that he changed since last year after the egg incident. He knows I care about Rachel and promised he wouldn't do something like that to her ever again.  
Nopuck24: I would fall into his trap too quickly dude. He may be trying to sabotage New Directions again  
Finniscool2: He actually did sound sincere about it so I wouldn't count him out completely. I mean he did just finish one year of college so maybe he has changed in a year.  
Nopuck24: Did he mention anything about coming to Boston for nationals?  
Finniscool2: We didn't really talk about that. I can always find out from Rachel though when we see her in class on Monday.  
Nopuck24: If that punk tries to do anything to Rachel again we should both get revenge on him some how.  
Finniscool2: Yeah, sure whatever.


	7. Nationals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New Directions and Vocal Adrelanine shine at Nationals.

School was officially out for the summer, Rachel couldn't be more excited. There was less than a week until Nationals. The moment that her and her fellow New Directions members had been looking forward to for the past month. In her excitement she had completely blocked out that her father had invited her mother over for a barbeque on June 15th the day after school got out.  
The doorbell rang at promptly 5:15. Rachel opened the door and saw her mother loaded down with plates.  
"Let me help you with those."  
Shelby smiled. "Thank you Rachel.. Something sure smells good.."  
Rachel took a plate of brownies from the top of her mother's stack. "Dad's out back cooking, I'll show you the way."  
Rick Berry smiled as Rachel showed his ex-wife in to the back yard.  
"Welcome Shelby. Dinner is just about ready and Dave should be home any minute. Rachel, honey will you go inside and get the cheese and crackers?"  
Rachel nodded. " Mom brought some fruit salad that we can have for an appetizer as well."  
"Great."  
And they soon sat down to a start of summer feast.  
Dave entered the back yard, kissing his partner and smiling at ex-wife.  
"Nice to see you again Shelby. Are we ready to eat?"  
Rick Berry smiled "Let's chow down."  
They all sat down at the table.  
"So Rachel honey, when are you leaving for nationals?" Dave asked  
Rachel swallowed her potato salad. "Sunday morning at 8am."  
Is your flight all booked?"  
Shelby interjected. "Actually I already prearranged with Will Schuster that Rachel and I will drive down to Boston. Everyone else meets at the airport around 9am so I'll be picking her up sometime mid morning. Figured a little mother-daughter bonding time was in order."  
Rachel had no previous awareness of this. She had assumed she was riding the bus down with her New Directions team mates.  
"I hope that's okay with you Rachel." Shelby said.  
"Yeah that sounds good to me."  
Shelby directed the next comment at her ex-husband.  
"I'm assuming you know Jesse St James is back in town."  
Rick Berry nodded. "Yes, I do. He and Rachel went out to dinner a few weeks ago. He seems like a decent boy. Looks like a year at college really changed him for the better."  
"I'm assuming Rachel must have told you about the letter he sent her."  
Rick Berry nodded. 'Where is this headed?' he thought to himself.  
It was Rachel's turn to interrupt.. "He mentioned in the letter that he was impressed with my talent and New Directions' talent."  
Shelby nodded. "That's correct He suggested that Vocal Adrenaline should do a group dance number to Thriller with New Directions at Nationals."  
Rachel's jaw dropped in shock.  
"Does Mr. Schuster know about this?"  
Shelby nodded "Yes, and he was very receptive to the idea. The reason we are going down to Boston a few days early is so we have enough time to rehearse the combined group number."  
"Is something like that even allowed?" Dave asked  
Shelby shook her head. "Not typically but we're going to blow the judges away with this routine so hopefully they'll allow something similar next year."  
Rachel had a concern that this could potentially get both teams disqualified from the competition.  
"Did you guys pick soloists already or are you going to figure that out when you get to Boston?" Rick Berry asked.  
"Will Schuster and I discussed this and we are going to have one person from each team do a solo."  
Rachel sincerely hoped it would not be her and Jesse more for Finn's sake than her own.  
"Who are the soloists?" she asked looking at her mother slightly worried.  
"Sunshine and Puck."  
"What an interesting combination." Dave said.  
"What made you choose them?"" Rachel asked.  
"We figured we would give the judges a bit more variety."  
Rachel was relieved. At least she didn't have to deal with Finn and Jesse getting in any fist fights at the competition. She knew that Finn wasn't exactly happy with the fact that he'd gone on a date with her.  
Mid Sunday afternoon Rachel and Shelby arrive in Boston and check into their hotel. Note: Having never been to Ohio I haven't the slightest clue how long it would take to drive from Ohio to Boston so I am estimating it takes them about 10 hours.  
It had been a very long car trip. Rachel had very much enjoyed spending some quality time with her mom and was happy they could do some catching up. They arrived in Boston around 5:15 pm. They checked in at the Marriot.  
"Hello, I'm Shelby Richards Director of the Vocal Adrenaline and this is my daughter Rachel Berry who's a member of New Directions. Has the rest of our party checked in yet?"  
The desk attendant nodded. "Yes. Ma'am. You'll be on the 20th floor in the Penthouse Suites."  
Rachel's jaw dropped . "Penthouse Suites?!"  
The bellhop nodded. "That's correct." He handed them their room keys. "Enjoy your stay."  
When the elevator dinged on the 20th floor Rachel stepped out and saw the tall mahogany door. Shelby inserted her key. Will Schuster went in to the foyers of the suite to greet them.  
"Glad you guys got here safe. Rachel you'll be bunking with Mercedes and Tina. Shelby we'll be rooming together."  
Rachel was in awe of the room. There was so much space, " Do we have a separate room for rehearsal downstairs or are just doing to rehearse in here?"  
Mr. Schuster smiled. "This suite has three common rooms. We will use one of them for rehearsal space."  
"How were the rooming assignments done?" Shelby asked.  
Aside from the soloists who have their own room so they can practice in private everyone has a triple. I had the kids make their own decisions of who they wanted to room with.. To avoid any all out wars New Directions and Vocal Adrenaline singers are in separate suites."  
'Good move Mr. Schue' Rachel thought to herself. This would mean any potential confrontations between Finn and Jesse could be avoided should he choose to stop by and visit. She walked down the hall to find her room. Mercedes opened the door and grabbed Rachel's suitcase from her.  
"Can you even believe this suite?" Mercedes asked. "It enormous."  
"How did my mom and Mr. Schue even manage to afford a room like this?" Rachel asked.  
"Apparently there was some deal that all the hotels in Boston were doing because of the show choir competition. We're not the only school in the competition who got this type of deal. We were just the first people jump on it"  
Tina pulled Rachel over toward the window "Check out the view."  
If Rachel was blown away the size of the room then the view was breathtaking.  
"Wow, what a great view of the Boston skyline." She said.  
"Will we have any free time to tour Boston?" Rachel asked.  
Mercedes pushed a piece of paper into her hands. "Just barely enough. We really have to get this combined dance number rehearsed if it going to look flawless by the completion on Thursday. Your mom did tell you we're the opening number didn't she?"  
"Nope."  
"Well we really have to blow the judges away with this number. even if it doesn't count in their final decision." Tina said  
Rachel had anxiety about this number being flawless.. perhaps that was just the perfectionist in her.  
Each morning they rehearsed the number in the morning for 3 hours had a break for lunch and then three more hours in the afternoon.. Things seemed to be going well. Until Sunshine got food poisoning on Wednesday afternoon.. This could spell disaster for the group number if they did not find a replacement soloist in time. Will and Shelby had not planned on this happening.  
Sunshine called Shelby into her room to talk to her in private. The door was closed for several minutes. Shelby emerged from the room.  
"Bad news and good news kids. First, the food poising won't clear up until Friday so Sunshine will be unable to perform."  
"Well isn't it kind of short notice to have auditions to replace her?" Will asked.  
Shelby nodded. The good news is we won't have to hold auditions. Sunshine has already chosen her alternate."  
"Who's it going to be? Puck asked anxious to know who his new duet partner would be.  
"Mercedes."  
Rachel was relieved she didn't get the solo. She felt Mercedes deserved her moment in the spotlight. It was her time to shine. She gave her constant competitor's hand a congratulatory squeeze..  
The rooming assignments had to be switched to Sunshine could be in a room by herself to recover from her illness, Mercedes and Puck became roommates leaving Tina and Rachel together for the remainder of the trip.  
"So Rachel, is Jesse going to be in the audience tomorrow?" Tina asked her as they got ready to go out for a pre- competition supper in the North End.  
Rachel shrugged. "I am not sure. When were out to dinner at Breadsticks he said he'd try to come but I never really got a yes or no answer from him."  
"Did your mom tell you that this whole group number thing was his idea?"  
Rachel grinned widely. "Yes and I think it's fantastic. I hope this will be the beginning of coming together of both our groups."  
Tina had a secret which she wasn't ready to tell Rachel at that moment.  
"Tina I'm actually kind of worried about how Finn is going to react when he sees Jesse."  
"What do you mean?"  
"I'm concerned they could get into a fist fight or something that. Finn is not completely over the egg incident..."  
"Puck told me Jesse texted Finn and they talked about that. I don't think there are hard feelings between them anymore."  
Rachel had totally forgotten she had given Jesse Finn's number when they went out to dinner at Breadsticks. She hoped he wouldn't be too mad at her for doing that.  
"I hope so."  
Tina hugged her friend "I don't think you need to worry about anything. Things will turn out splendid."  
Rachel sincerely hoped she was right.  
After dinner some kids from New Directions decided to go on a cruise of Boston Harbor.. Rachel found this the perfect opportunity to talk to Finn.  
They watched the sunset over the harbor.  
"Finn are you mad that I gave Jesse your number?"  
Finn looked at his Glee Club partner in crime and one of his closest friends.  
"No, Rachel. I'm not. We actually settled our differences. There won't be any hard feelings between us anymore."  
"No fist fights.?"  
Finn pulled her into a familiar embrace.  
"No fist fights. I promise.  
"How do you think the routine looks?"  
Finn's smile stretched from ear to ear.  
"I think it looks great. We'll really blow the audience away tomorrow. Do you know if Jesse is coming?"  
Rachel shrugged " Things have been so crazy I haven't even tried to talk to my mom about it. I texted him on Monday night and never heard back."  
"Check your phone. I thought I just heard it go off."  
Rachel opened her phone. Sure enough there was a new text message from Jesse.  
It said  
"Hey. I was going to come tomorrow but something came up at the last minute. Wish everyone luck for me."  
Rachel was some what disappointed that Jesse wasn't going to be there. This routine had been his idea and wasn't even going to see it performed..  
She texted him back:  
We'll dedicate the performance to you. Thanks for the awesome idea."  
She slipped her phone back in her purse and looked at Finn.  
"He's not coming. We're dedicating the performance to him.. it was his idea after all."  
Finn smiled. "Sounds like a plan to me."  
Rachel was ready to drop a bombshell on him..  
"Finn do you sill have feelings for me?"  
Finn looked at her with a serious expression.  
"Yes, Rachel. It's been so hard to deal with. With Quinn and the baby and not knowing if you have the same feelings for me."  
Rachel took Finn's hand in hers.  
"I do still have feelings for you Finn. I know this whole thing with Jesse coming back hasn't been too easy on you either."  
"Do you want to get back together?"  
Finn whispered "Yes, I do. I love you Rachel.."  
"I love you too."  
As the moon started to rise over the horizon they kissed. Not aware in the least that Quinn had been watching them the whole time.  
Finally it was the day they had al been waiting for. Both teams were ready to go own and perform the Michael Jackson Tribute opening number.  
"And now ..something new and completely different for Nationals this year. A combined dance routine from New Directions and Vocal Adrenaline!" The announcer proclaimed.  
The stage lights went up. Everyone was lined up on the stage in full vampire and werewolf garb. The music pulsated through the speakers.  
And the most epic collaboration in Ohio show choir history began.  
Will and Shelby watched everything unfold from back stage.  
"I think this was a great idea. Don't you?" Will asked  
Shelby nodded happily "Yes, I am so glad Jesse suggested this. Do you have any idea if he's here?"  
Will shook his head "Rachel told me he texted her last night. He couldn't make it at the last minute."  
"Too bad. He really should have been here." Shelby said.  
"Shelby ,how do you feel about combing show choirs?" Will asked.  
Shelby didn't even have to think twice before answering.  
"We should discuss it with the kids first but I think it's an excellent idea.  
Once the number ended both groups gathered around the list to see where in the line up of performances their teams had been placed.  
"We're 7th and New Directions is 10th." Shelby announced.  
"Good, this gives us all more time to work on our songs one last time.. " Mike Chang said,  
The New Directions and Vocal Adrenaline kids hugged each other with wishes of good luck.  
Shelby's cell phone went off. It was the hotel. She had totally forgotten Sunshine was in the hotel room still sleeping. She had checked on her before she left and she looked like she was recovering from her food poisoning.  
Ms. Richards, it's Dante from the Marriot front desk. Someone from the maid staff went into clean your room and they noticed something was wrong."  
"Was it Sunshine?"  
"Yes. She was throwing up in the bathroom and had to be rushed to the hospital;. We think her food poisoning may have gotten worse. Did she go out for dinner last night?"  
" I brought her back something but it was really light because I knew she was still sick."  
"Do you remember what is was you brought back for her?"  
"Just a small side salad."  
"Do you know if she ate any of it?"  
"I left it on her bedside table with a glass of water. Did the maid notice if the plate was empty?  
"It appears like she had a few bites but whatever she did eat must of really upset her stomach worse than it already was.  
"Was her fever really high? I took her temperature before we left for the Civic Center."  
"She has a 104 fever. That's why she's been rushed to the hospital for observation. You should send a representative from your group over to be with her right away and then notify her parents."  
"I'm on my way right now." Shelby said.  
"What was that all about?" Will asked noticing that Shelby looked incredibly worried.  
"Sunshine's food poising got worse and she's in the hospital. I need to leave right away to check on her.. Can one of the kids come with me?"  
"No, I think they should focus on the competition. I'll stay here and hold down the fort. Will you call me with any updates?"  
Shelby hugged him " Definitely. Thanks Will, this is a big help."  
"No worries."  
Shelby grabbed her jacket. Rachel came out of the rehearsal room just to see her mother leave in a rush.  
"Where is she going in such a rush? Shouldn't she be staying with us for the whole competition?" Rachel asked.  
"Sunshine's food poisoning has gotten worse.. Your mom is going to the hospital to stay there with her for a little while. Hopefully she'll be back by the end of the competition,."  
"Don't you think her parents should know? They're out in the audience."  
Will Schuster did not know how many parents would actually attend the competition based on how far away it was.  
"Do you know where they are sitting?"  
"Right where you enter the auditorium on the end of the second row. The first group is just finishing now .. hury up before the next team starts"  
Will went into auditorium. Sunshine's parents were easy to spot.  
"Hi I'm Will Schuester coach of New Directions… we just performed with Vocal Adrenaline in the Michael Jackson tribute."  
Sunshine's father nodded. "Yes, the dance number was very good, but where was our daughter Sunshine? She was supposed to have the opening solo."  
"Actually that's just what I came to talk to you about. Sunshine got sick with food poisoning two nights ago and she was just rushed to Beth Israel Hospital for some tests. Shelby, the coach of Vocal Adrenaline just left to go check on her. Figured you should get on over there and see how she's doing."  
The look on Sunshine's mother's face grew very alarmed. "Thank You Mr. Schuster We will leave immediately."  
Meanwhile… in the rehearsal room  
Rachel was confused about why Jesse had bailed on coming to Nationals. It was a possibility the distance was too far. She had hoped that nothing too bad had happened to him. Finn could tell that something was distracting Rachel's focus.  
"You're upset that Jesse's not here aren't you?"  
"Not upset really, just a bit concerned. I mean he did come up with the idea for the opening number and I was really hoping he'd be here to see it."  
Finn's smile was a mile wide. "Yeah, it was a pretty AMAZING number. I wonder if New Directions and Vocal Adrenaline will do more combined shows together in the future."  
Rachel noticed Quinn glaring at her out of the corner of her eye.  
"Excuse me." Rachel said to Finn. "Your girlfriend is shooting me nasty looks. I must go speak to her."  
"By all means." Finn said.  
Rachel and Quinn stepped out in the hall to avoid any embarrassing squabbles in front of the group.  
"Listen Quinn if you're going to start any fights about me and Finn save it for the plane ride home to Ohio. The stakes are too high for everyone right now." Rachel said with emphasis.  
" I saw you guys kissing on the boat last night." Quinn whispered  
"Yeah., so what? A kiss is a kiss."  
"It means more to you than that and you know it."  
"Just drop it Quinn. I don't want to talk about my feelings for Finn right now especially with you. Don't distract our focus from the competition."  
"For your information I made sure that Jesse wasn't here today."  
"What the hell are you talking about?"  
"I stole Finn's phone from him and texted him telling him not to come last night when you were kissing Finn on the cruise."  
Rachel's face grew red instantly.  
"Are you insane?! What the fuck made you do that?"  
"I personally don't like the idea of combining Glee clubs. I told Jesse exactly that. I said he should stay away from us and us do our own thing from now on."  
Rachel was furious. She didn't want to be part of this conversation anymore..  
"Stay away from me for the rest of the day. I don't want to talk you anymore then we've already spoken."  
"Fine with me." Quinn turned on her heels and went back into the rehearsal room with a very satisfied look on her face.  
Rachel ran down the hall to find Mr. Schuster. He was just emerging from the theatre with Sunshine's parents who looked extremely worried. .  
Will Schuster took immediate notice of Rachel's red faced expression.  
"Mr Schue we need to talk." Rachel said.  
"Just a second Rachel I need to call a cab for Sunshine's parents. They are going to the hospital to be with their daughter." Will said pulling out his cell phome nnd calling 411 to get the nearest taxi cab service.  
Once Sunshine's parents were safely off to the hospital Will game his full attention to Rachel. "Okay, what's up? What's gotten you so upset?"  
"Quinn is blackmailing our collaborative efforts with Vocal Adrenaline. That's what!"  
He stared at her completely baffled  
"What do you mean? The group number is over."  
"I mean she stole Finn's phone last night when we went on the cruise and texted Jesse telling him not to come watch when the whole thing was his idea " "Jesse told me something else came up but now I know the truth."  
"Well, how do you know for sure something else didn't come up? It is almost July 4th you know. He could have had plans with his family."  
Rachel was too angry with Quinn at the current time to even take that suggestion into consideration. "No, this is one hundred percent Quinn not wanting New Directions and Vocal Adrenaline to collaborate."  
"Well Quinn is just going to have learn to deal with this. We're going to be collaborating a lot more with Vocal Adrenaline from now on."  
Rachel was shocked.  
"We are?"  
"That's the plan. Your mom and I are planning on talking to everyone at the end of the competition today no matter the result of who gets what placement."  
The crimson color faded from Rachel's face.  
"Great. Will you talk to Quinn and sort things out?"  
"Definitely. Actually if you're on your way back to the rehearsal room send her out once you get back."  
"Gladly."  
Rachel went back down the hall to get Quinn from the rehearsal room.  
Will looked at the blond cheerleader with a very dissatisfied smirk.  
"What's gotten into you Quinn?"  
"Combining Glee clubs is a bad idea Mr. Schue. Think of what Jesse did to Rachel last year."  
"Last year has nothing to do with what's going on now. Jesse and Rachel have moved on from that and the rest of you should too."  
"I don't give a shit what you say. It's not a good idea."  
Will Schuster grew red in the face.  
"Quinn , you will not talk to me like that or get in the way of this wonderful new friendship between New Directions and Vocal Adrenaline. If you continue to sabotage this contest I will send you back to the hotel and you won't even get to compete."  
Before their conversation could continue Finn stomped down the hall in a fit of rage. His eyes which were full of fire were set directly on Quinn.  
"What the fuck possessed you to steal my phone and text Jesse?"  
Both Mr .Schuster and Finn folded their arms and glared at Quinn.  
"You said yourself that you and Puck wanted to pulverize Jesse. That's part of the reason why I didn't want him here today."  
"For your information Jesse and I have settled our differences. Last year is in the past. You need to let that go. The rest of us have."  
"As I just told Mr. Schue I don't think combining Glee clubs is a good idea. We're rivals. We should stay that way."  
"Sorry Quinn it's a new year. I actually really enjoyed working with Vocal Adrenaline on the dance number.. I look forward to collaborating with them more." Finn stared at his (soon to be ex) girlfriend. "Oh, by the way I don't care if you're jealous of me and Rachel or not. We're getting back together. You have no control over how we feel about each other and you can't manipulate me away from her no matter how hard you try."  
With that Finn stomped back down the hall toward the rehearsal room.  
"Do you have anything else to say Quinn?"  
"No, nothing at all."  
" I have the right mind to send you back to the hotel for this charade but I won't You will have a lot or serious thinking to do on the plane ride back to Ohio."  
Mr. Schue went back to the rehearsal room to check on the status of the preparation for New Directions solo numbers.. Quinn in the meanwhile went to the bathroom, locked herself in the last stall and cried for 45 minutes. Once she recomposed herself she made a decision that this would be her last year in Glee Club. She couldn't deal with seeing Rachel steal her boyfriend away from her and couldn't believe that Mr. Schuster did not trust her that combining Glee Clubs was a bad idea. She had nothing at McKinley. No Cheerios and as of this very moment no Glee Club. She would transfer to a different high school that coming fall  
By lunch break the top 10 schools had completed their performances.. only 10 more teams remained. Will was glad that both Vocal Adrenaline and New Directions had gone in the earlier round. Now they could relax for the rest of the day.  
Will's phone rang. It was Shelby  
"Hey, How's Sunshine doing?"  
"A little better. Her parents are taking her home for closer observation. They are filling out her release paper work and going to the hotel to pick up her bags.  
"Is she okay to fly?"  
"I hope so.. How are things there?"  
"Good despite the drama before the performances,."  
"What happened?"  
"After Sunshine's parents left, Rachel came out of the rehearsal room in a rage telling me that Quinn had stolen Finn's phone last night and texted Jesse telling him not to come.."  
"What?"  
"That was my reaction exactly. Apparently while Finn and Rachel had some alone time on the cruise last night she confiscated Finn's phone and texted Jesse. Jesse then texted Rachel saying something came up at the last minute."  
"That could have been true though. Did you actually see the text that Quinn sent to him?"  
"Yes. It said that he should stay away from New Directions and let us do our own thing."  
Shelby was furious at what Quinn had done. She couldn't believe the mother of her adopted daughter Beth would do something so hurtful. Especially since things seemed to be on stronger ground between Jesse and Rachel.  
"What makes her think she has any say? We're the directors."  
"I've already said my piece. You're welcome to talk to her if you want..."  
"Oh trust me, I will talk to her I'll be back there in about 10 minutes."  
"Okay See you soon.. Will hung up..  
The rest of the day seemed to fly by. Within three hours times the winners were announced.  
The lead judge spoke. "First of all we'd like to congratulate Vocal Adrenaline and New Directions on their amazing combined dance number. It was a peasant surprise. We plan on including this in our judging criteria next year."  
High fives circulated throughout the New Directions and Vocal Adrenaline rows… Quinn refrained from participation and kept her arms folded across her chest.  
"Now we will announce the winners of this years compettion. In Fourth Place New Directions Mc Kinley High School In third place Southington High School Singing Stars Southington, Connecticut. In second place Vocal Adrenaline and in first place New Brunswick Noters New Brunswick New Jersey.  
More high fives.  
In all this celebration Shelby chose to pull Quinn aside..  
"Quinn, Mr. Schuster told me that you texted Jesse and told him not to come is this true?"  
"Yes."  
"Why would you do something like that?"  
"Jesse is a creep and a two faced liar I can't believe that everyone else in New Directions can't see that."  
"Did you notice how happy everyone was happy to be together today.. from both teams?"  
Quinn looks away from Rachel's mother. " Guess not."  
"That's because you were too focused on the Jesse everyone knew LAST YEAR. What is wrong that you can't move on when everyone else has?"  
"Because Jesse is a scumbag."  
"Would a scumbag have respect for New Directions and suggest this idea in the first place?"  
Quinn didn't answer.  
"You need to put last year behind you Quinn. Everyone else has. What kind of example would this set for your daughter when she grows up and wants to seek out her birth mother?"  
Quinn had never considered this before but still did not answer for at least five minutes.  
"I don't care what anyone else says. Combining Glee Clubs is a bad idea,"  
"Well you have no say in what we do, we're the directors.. Finn and Rachel seem to think this is an excellent idea. Jesse does too.. I think everyone else will approve."  
"If you guys go through with this I plan to transfer next year."  
"Is that a threat?"  
"No, it's the truth. I am totally done with Glee Club.. totally done with McKinley High I want to start over a new leaf."  
"Whatever you feel best suits you."  
"Are we done now?"  
"Yes, Quinn you're dismissed.  
Shelby left Quinn alone. At that moment Quinn saw her mother come from the direction of the bathroom.  
:"Quinny, MR. Schuster talked to me during intermission and told me about the incident that happened on the cruise what's gotten in to you?  
Quinn refused to talk anymore about this situation then she already had.. Twice in one day was truly enough for her.  
" Can we just go home?  
"If that's what you want. We'll go to the hotel and get you're your things. Are you sure you don't want to stay for the end of competition debriefing.?"  
" No. I've had enough of Glee club for today… forever."  
"What do you mean forever?"  
"I want to transfer next year. Start over fresh. I feel McKinley is not a good fit for me anymore,"  
"Okay sweetie, we'll discuss all later. Let's just get to the airport. The flight is booked for 8pm tonight. I already arranged a charter flight for the two of us."  
'A fresh start, just what I need." Quinn thought.


End file.
